Physiological, growth, yield, and quality responses of hot pepper due to shade level

ABSTRACT High temperatures, high relative humidity, and frequent rainfall limit productivity and quality of red chili pepper (Capsicum annuum L) with 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville units. Growers in greenhouses use shading screens to limit incidence radiation in order to avoid the issue of too high temperatures and high radiation. A pot experiment was conducted to assess growth, physiology, yield, and quality responses of three pepper varieties under four shade levels. The combined effects of shade level and pepper variety affected days to 50% flowering, days to breaker stage, plant height, node number, internode length, branch number, relative growth rate, leaf number, leaf area, transpiration rate, photosynthesis rate, stomatal conductance, leaf temperature, fruit length, fruit weight per plant, total soluble solids, marketable fruit yield, cull fruit yield, total fresh fruit yield, and total dry fruit yield. Shade levels from 25% to 50% positively affected chlorophyll fluorescence, chlorophyll content, stomatal conductance, transpiration rate, fruit yield, and quality parameters; above this shade level, these parameters were negatively affected in all pepper varieties. Light and shade influenced growth, physiology, yield, and quality of hot peppers. The hot pepper variety Mareko Fana, grown under 25% shade, improved its productivity and pod quality.